


by moonlight

by painttheworldinpastels



Series: ashes, ashes, we all fall down [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Forests, M/M, Theme Day: Mythical Monsters, everything is vague, sprites to be specific, storybook-type narration, very brief mention of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-12-14 07:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21012038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/painttheworldinpastels/pseuds/painttheworldinpastels
Summary: Once upon a time, a wood sprite just wanted a friend.





	by moonlight

Once upon a time, there lived in a dense forest a sprite named Renjun. Renjun had been in that forest for over fifty years, watching trees grow and be cut down for lumber, flowers bloom and be picked by people's grubby hands, animals be born and be hunted.

Now, the forest was positioned on the edge of a little town, so it was not uncommon for humans to stumble through. Renjun had seen many types of them—tall and short, lanky and overweight, young and old, attractive and those not so, drunk and sober. But a particular human piqued his interest; this human was young, not a toddler but not yet a teenager, with tan skin and bright eyes. He looked up at Renjun, who was sitting on a tree branch high above the ground with his eyebrow raised in silent judgment. After a staring contest that seemed to go on for far too long, the human boy waved at Renjun and shouted "hi!" loudly, startling the birds resting on the branch adjacent to Renjun's and causing them to fly away.

Renjun leaned backwards, sinking into the thicket. Maybe if he was quiet enough, the child would ignore him and be on his merry way.

"Hi!" The voice echoed throughout the clearing, agitating more and more forest creatures. Renjun sighed as he cast a calming spell on the animals nearby, allowing them to ignore the loud ruckus created by the newcomer.

"Leave." Renjun's voice was firm as he spoke, an air of authority about him. 

"No! I wanna play!"

"Has no one ever told you to not talk to strangers?"

"But you're not a stranger," the boy grinned toothily up at Renjun. "You're my new friend!"

_ Friend _. Renjun hadn't heard that word in a long while, and he'd never thought it would ever be associated with him. Renjun eyed the boy again, searching for warning signs that he shouldn't engage, but all Renjun saw was a child with hair sticking out in different directions, with chubby hands and muddy shoes—definitely not enough to warrant a threat. Renjun had nothing to lose and it would be entertaining, so he decided to entertain himself.

"Aren't spirits supposed to be hundreds of years old?" The boy looked up at Renjun, who had been frowning down on the child from where he sat. He had just given this child a piece of tree bark to serve as nutrition but he'd merely grimaced at it and flung it into some nearby bushes, yelling about how dirty it is. Ungrateful brat.

"Don't I look like I'm a hundred years old?"

"No. You're small, so you're young, just like me! Wanna play?"

"No." Frankly, Renjun would prefer to never see this boy again. What does he gain from insulting a supernatural being? 

"Please?" The child was pouting up at him now, eyes as wide as saucers. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, my name's Donghyuck!"

"I'm not interested."

"Hi, Not Interested! Will you play with me now?"

"No."

"I wanna get up there too!" The boy cried, hopping lightly on both feet, tiptoeing and reaching for the lowest branch, which was still too high for him.

"If you do that, you'll fall and die. Aren't you scared of that?"

"I'm not, 'cause I know you'll save me!"

Renjun snorted. "Why would I?"

"Because friends save each other!"

Renjun stifled a laugh. "I'm not your friend."

"Please." The child's gaze was sad, filled with longing. "I just want someone to play with me."

Renjun wasn't affected. He _ wasn't _, but he sighed as he let himself drop gracefully, hovering a few inches off the ground. 

The child wasn't very tall, so when he moved to wrap his short arms around Renjun he only reached up to his calves. The boy's boldness surprised Renjun though; this human child had just hugged him, who had just revealed that he was a threatening (as long as the child wasn't aware of his species' fallacious claim of sprites and fairies being synonymous) and powerful being. Despite Renjun's attempt to hide it, a small smile made its way to his lips. How brave of him.

"Will you play with me?" The child's eyes were sparkling, shining and hopeful. Innocence is so precious nowadays, Renjun thought. Why not protect this child's for as long as he still has it?

Renjun walked over to a tree stump nearby, the child trailing behind him. The boy waddled towards a particularly lumpy root and sat down, facing Renjun, prepared to listen to every word.

Renjun smiled. It was a nice feeling, to have someone pay attention to you so attentively.

A human child was the least of his concerns at the moment, so Renjun didn't know why he was even giving him the time of day. But isolation leaves a lot to be desired, and admittedly it would be nice to have someone to talk to who actually responds, unlike the animals with their occasional grunts and the plants with their carefree swaying when a breeze passes by (sometimes accompanied by a wind sprite with pink hair and an impish smile).

Renjun took a deep breath and lowered himself to the child's height. "If you keep quiet, I'll tell you a story."

___*___

Time passed by. Donghyuck sought Renjun out every weekend night from then on. The constant weeks of seeing each other turned into months, and eventually years. Donghyuck grew from an adorable child to a stunning adult, one with golden skin punctuated with multiple moles and soft brown hair. Donghyuck was a wonder to behold, but Renjun. _ Renjun _.

Renjun was beautiful. Donghyuck knew that from the day they met, was intrigued by the weird creature that looked too pretty to be real. But as he grew up, Donghyuck grew to realize just how alluring Renjun was.

Renjun's gaze was magnetic; his eyes bright and mischievous, but still containing a world of wisdom within them. Renjun's laughter sounded like music to Donghyuck's ears, like soft bells chiming. Renjun's blond hair was velvety, and it looked best when it was ruffled by a draft of air, leaving Renjun smiling widely as he dropped a greeting to the wind, to a spirit only Renjun could see.

(And perhaps Donghyuck was the tiniest bit envious of their hushed conversation; sometimes he swung his arms extra hard as he stretched his limbs in the off chance that he would hit whoever Renjun was talking to so fondly. Donghyuck liked to think that he succeeded.)

Renjun was Donghyuck's epitome of beauty, and he made sure that Renjun was aware of that. He lavished Renjun with compliments and praises, with declarations and exaltations, and Renjun liked hearing them all. He liked hearing how he was Donghyuck's most precious friend, how Donghyuck believed Renjun to be a blessing and how happy he was that Renjun was in his life. Renjun liked knowing how much Donghyuck values him, how Donghyuck felt safe with him.

Perhaps that was why Renjun was so reluctant to share him with anyone else.

Renjun's thought out multiple scenarios ever since Donghyuck stumbled into the forest and captured his attention. He'd imagined that Donghyuck would leave and never return. He'd imagined that Donghyuck would bring the townspeople there to eliminate him, like what they did to things they didn't understand. Worse of all, he'd imagined that Donghyuck would forget, that Renjun wasn't memorable enough for him.

The last thing he expected was for Donghyuck to bring a stranger into their sacred place.

Renjun saw them approach from far away, perched on the tallest tree. The grin on his face at the sight of Donghyuck quickly collapsed when he saw someone laughing alongside him, and alarm quickly spread through Renjun when Donghyuck had entered the forest with the stranger still in tow.

"You'll love him Jeno, he's so amazing and kind and he's really, really cool!" Renjun heard Donghyuck's voice echo throughout the forest, and he bit his lip in thought. What was he supposed to do, how was he supposed to deal with this without disappointing Donghyuck?

"He's really pretty too," Donghyuck added shyly. "He's absolutely wonderful." The words struck a chord in Renjun, and all Renjun could do was sigh as he disappeared from view.

Donghyuck waited, and waited, and waited. Jeno was impatient, tugging his arm every five minutes or so and asking him to go back home with him, clearly frightened. And he had reason to be, as Renjun warped their surroundings to look as threatening as possible without allowing Donghyuck to notice.

Donghyuck's excited face began to fall as time ticked away. Renjun looked on sadly as Donghyuck called out for him, but when Donghyuck screamed that he had someone special that he wanted Renjun to meet, Renjun got mad. A special someone? Wasn't Renjun his special someone? All the guilt Renjun felt for leaving Donghyuck high and dry dissipated, his words leaving a sour taste in Renjun's mouth. Well then. He supposed Donghyuck and his _ special someone _ would be able to have fun on their own.

Renjun didn't appear to Donghyuck that night.

___*___

"I don't like it when other people come here," Renjun explained as they sat along the riverbank. Donghyuck was staring at the rush of water, refusing to meet Renjun's gaze, and Renjun didn't like that. He slowly made his way towards Donghyuck and crouched in front of him. "Are you mad?"

Donghyuck shook his head. "I thought I did something wrong," he whispered. 

Renjun frowned. "Did it seem that way?"

"Yes." Donghyuck bowed his head shyly. Renjun's heart ached as he pulled Donghyuck into a hug. "I'm sorry I upset you."

Donghyuck shook his head. "You didn't!"

"But I made you sad."

"You didn't get to meet Jeno," Donghyuck lamented, and Renjun stiffened. "I really wanted you to be friends too."

Renjun hummed softly. "What's Jeno to you?"

Donghyuck looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"Is he...someone special to you?"

"He's my best friend!" Donghyuck was positively radiant as he answered, and somehow that made Renjun's blood boil. "I just wanted all the important people in my life to know each other."

At that, Renjun broke into a relieved grin. Sometimes Donghyuck still had the mentality of a child, and this innocence and purity was something Renjun wished that he'd never outgrow. He could forget about Jeno for now as he pressed a kiss to Donghyuck's forehead, a promise. "Thank you for deeming me important enough to integrate me into all aspects of your life, but let's just keep this our little secret, okay Hyuckie?"

Donghyuck nodded, desperate to satisfy Renjun, to make him happy. "Okay."

___*___

"Have you ever been to one of the town's festivals?" Donghyuck asked Renjun one night, his head on Renjun's lap and Renjun's fingers carding through Donghyuck's hair.

"Yes, a couple of times before," Renjun said absentmindedly, softly tugging on Hyuck's hair where his fingers had gotten stuck on a stubborn curl. "They're all dismaying."

Donghyuck reached out to comb his own fingers in Renjun's hair, and Renjun bowed his head so he didn't have to strain himself. Renjun's hair slipped through Donghyuck's fingers like silk.

"There's a gonna be a festival tomorrow night, you should come with me!" Donghyuck beamed at Renjun, and it reminded him of when Donghyuck was younger and could persuade Renjun to do anything just by giving him a toothy smile. Renjun supposed that didn't change.

"I don't know..."

"Please Renjun," Donghyuck sat up abruptly and Renjun tried not to mourn the loss of his warmth. "It'll be fun! There's food and drinks and dancing and music, so much music. You like music, don't you? You sing sometimes!"

"I only sing for you, Donghyuck. No one else."

Donghyuck coughed awkwardly, and Renjun politely ignored the blush slowly crawling into his cheeks. "Please Renjun? I love it here, and I love being here with you, but I also want to show you my world. This forest feels like home, so I want to bring you to my home too. Not my house though, if my parents see your pointy ears outside of Halloween they'll freak out."

"And they won't be freaked out by my ears during the festival? Where many people will see?"

"We can always tell them it's a new trend. And no one would question it when everyone's drunk. Please?" Donghyuck pleaded.

Donghyuck never asked anything of him. Donghyuck, sweet Donghyuck, always thought about Renjun's interests and always put him first. Renjun tried to give back, but there wasn't a lot he could give him aside from company and party tricks and feats of magic, and the occasional song.

But Renjun could give him this.

Renjun didn't have fun. It was too hot, there were too many people, and the venue was too small for the crowd that showed up (frankly, Renjun began to think that maybe humans don't consider anything, always putting aside comfort for pleasure). The smell of different humans' body odors wafting in the air was still as terrible as Renjun remembered, but he cast one look at Donghyuck and his complaints were silenced.

Sweat lined Donghyuck's forehead, and his hair was flat and damp. Nevertheless, Renjun thought that Donghyuck looked gorgeous, with the light of the bonfire mirrored in his eyes, his lithe limbs moving to the beat of the drums. 

He looked almost fairy-like.

"Are you having fun?" Donghyuck looked so gleeful as he asked Renjun when the festivities began to dwindle, when the alcohol started to settle in the people's bodies.

Renjun supposed that the fun in these events was watching the people they cared about enjoy themselves, so Renjun nodded his head. "Yes, I'm having a lot of fun," he said as he held Donghyuck's hand. It wasn't a complete lie; seeing Donghyuck so lively and lighthearted is definitely the most fun he'd had in awhile outside of Donghyuck's visits.

Renjun should have found it concerning that his idea of happiness revolves around Donghyuck, but he didn't. In fact, he reveled in it, glad that at least there was something that gave him feeling. His heart was no longer hardened. He wasn't alone anymore, and Renjun was thankful for it. He was grateful for Donghyuck, and he would do anything to keep him happy and safe, and to keep Donghyuck with him.

__*__

Renjun wondered about Donghyuck's life outside the forest. Was Donghyuck popular in class? Did he have a lot of friends? Surely he did, with his good looks and his charming personality. Donghyuck always avoided Renjun's questions and the topic seemed to make Donghyuck distraught so Renjun asked about other things, like what he ate for lunch or what his parents bought recently or (Renjun had to clench his jaw as he asked this one) how Jeno was doing.

But sprites are curious beings. Renjun wanted to find out, so he did.

Renjun did what he'd never done, what he never wanted to do. He ventured out of the forest, hiding in a tree near Donghyuck's school to observe. It wasn't wrong, he'd justified to himself. Donghyuck wanted to show him his world, didn't he?

Renjun's discovery was...unpleasant, to say the least. Donghyuck was ostracized, picked on and teased for a reason unbeknownst to Renjun. Renjun would have swooped in and dealt with them himself if Jeno hadn't stepped in and told the bullies off, a complete opposite of the quivering fool in the woods begging Donghyuck to take him home.

Renjun hated Jeno a little less then. He was grateful Donghyuck had someone to protect him when Renjun couldn't.

Renjun wondered what he'd do now. Would it be too insensitive to ask Donghyuck what was going on? Would Donghyuck be angry that Renjun had intruded in his private business? How long has this been happening?

Maybe Renjun should take Donghyuck away from all of this. Maybe Donghyuck would be happier with him, away from all mortal woes. Donghyuck had called the forest his home once; perhaps he wouldn't mind staying. Permanently.

After all, they were friends now. Friends save each other, didn't they?

__*__

Renjun went about it subtly. He asked Donghyuck to stay longer, tempted him with narratives of how beautiful the sunrise is from atop a tree, or how melodious the woodland sounded during the mornings.

Donghyuck didn't think too much of it. He liked spending time with Renjun, and late nights and early mornings truly were more charming in the midst of nature.

Truthfully, he didn't want Renjun to be lonely.

It continued until Donghyuck spent almost the entirety of his days in the forest, playing hide in seek with Renjun like he was a little kid again, finding hidden treasures and sites that Donghyuck could only dream of. He'd come home at noon, and he'd leave as soon as he'd eaten lunch. His parents didn't mind, since he'd always passed the days away in the forest ever since he was younger. They knew he wouldn't get lost—he knew the woods like the back of his hand. And they swore there was someone watching over him (how else would he have stayed safe in a place where many had been found dead, if they were found at all?), so they had no reason to worry. They'd send Donghyuck off with some food, a jacket, a smile, a hug and kiss goodbye, and a reminder of what they would be having for lunch the next day.

Until one day, Donghyuck didn't return home.

The entire town searched for him, for it was not uncommon for people to go missing in the woods. Jeno went into the forest everyday to look, always standing at the spot Donghyuck made them wait at that one time he brought them there. Jeno never wanted to return to that place but every day he made his way through the shrubbery and yelled Donghyuck's name, hoping, praying for him to respond.

Donghyuck never did.

Eventually, the town gives up. The first to stop were the volunteers, leaving him for dead. Donghyuck's parents were next, resigning themselves to their son's unfortunate fate. They held a memorial in his honor, to remember the odd child who'd spent half of his life in the woods that had betrayed him.

Jeno was the last to give up, and arguably he hasn't yet. In an effort to erase all the unpleasant happenings around them from their memories, Jeno's family had moved away months after Donghyuck's disappearance. He still came back every year to visit though, and when he did he spent his nights in the forest armed with camping materials and what used to be Donghyuck's favorite treats. He would often get lost in the woods, but there would always be a path of twigs leading to an exit. Jeno knew it to be Donghyuck, watching over him from wherever he is, but no one ever believed him.

The forest is still there, as everyone is too frightened of what consequences there would be if they tried to take it down. There's still people who visit from time to time, either accidentally or purposefully. The story has been passed from generation to generation, and the elders from the little town on the edge of the woods say that when you enter the forest at night you can still hear Donghyuck's laughter sometimes, along with a tinkling of bells.

Do you think they lived happily ever after?

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my first wips! I've always wanted to finish it and this was the perfect outlet to do so! Although the result wasn't as big and bold as it was in my head I'm just really glad that this is finally out there!
> 
> And if anyone is wondering, the wind sprite is jaemin :3
> 
> twt: [@whatsavotingacc](https://twitter.com/whatsavotingacc?s=09)


End file.
